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Summary for 3938 Corliss AVE / Parcel ID 9178600835 / Inv #

Historic Name: Common Name:
Style: Tudor - Cottage Neighborhood: Wallingford
Built By: Year Built: 1930
 
Significance
In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance.
This house was erected by A. J. Allen & Son, a building firm responsible for the construction of a large number of Tudor cottages in Seattle’s north end in the years after the First World War. This particular house was completed in 1930, near the end of Seattle’s second north end building boom. The firm appears to have owned the property when the house was erected. The identity of the designer is not disclosed on the permit application; however, it is likely the builders worked from their own design drawings or from a set of stock plans. The existing basement garage is an original component of the design. The upper floor was finished in 1936 for a later owner, Grace C. Henderson, who apparently acquired the property in 1931. This work was completed by Richard Moench, who lived nearby at 3915 Woodlawn Avenue N. An addition to the structure was completed in 1969, and interior alterations were undertaken in 1985-87 and 1991, according to the permit record. This structure is significant as an intact and well-maintained example of the Tudor cottage style. Because it is located at the southeast corner of Corliss Avenue N. and N. 40th Street, a popular east-west travel corridor, the house is know to a large number of cross town commuters.
 
Appearance
This is a 1-1/2story frame residence with brick veneer on a concrete foundation over a full basement. The brick veneer cladding and close cornice, the moderately sloped, side-gabled main roof, the steeply sloped front-facing cross gable at the north end of the west façade, the projecting, gable roofed porch enclosure with its small landing and basket arched opening, the narrow but tall casement window to the north of the entry enclosure and the three larger casements ganged together in the middle of the west wall to the south of the entry are all typical elements of the Tudor cottage style. The metal muntins at the narrow window north of the entry are arranged in a diamond pattern popular with the builders of Tudor cottages; the three windows to the south of the entry are divided into rectangular panes in a 4 x 3 pattern. A shed roofed, shingle clad dormer sits on the western slope of the main roof and lights the upper floor of the structure The entry to the basement garage is located under the group of three windows at the main level but does not share their central axis; it is shifted to the south. The two double-hung windows are paired and centered in the north gable. A side door, surmounted by a small, hipped roof, is located near the west (front) end of the elevation at the main level below. To the east are three double-hung windows spaced approximately at equal intervals across the façade. All the north elevation windows feature metal, double-hung storm windows. A chimney is situated at the westernmost third point of the south elevation, where it is flanked by undivided fixed (or perhaps casement) windows, one to each side. A back porch is located near the east end of the south elevation. It is approach by a stair that rises along the wall and serves a door with a single, full height sidelight. The door and sidelight may not be original. The porch is protected by a cloth awning on a frame attached to the side of the house. A wide brick opening in the gable now features a slightly bowed, an unusual three part window assembly that appears to be some type of replacement unit. The back of the house is not clearly visible from either of the adjacent streets because of mature landscaping. However, there appear to be very few openings in the wall which extends only one story to the eave line. Although the permit record suggests that a number of alteration have been made to the structure, no significant modifications are apparent from the street side of the house.

Detail for 3938 Corliss AVE / Parcel ID 9178600835 / Inv #

Status: Yes - Inventory
Classication: Building District Status:
Cladding(s): Brick, Shingle, Wood Foundation(s): Concrete - Poured
Roof Type(s): Gable, Hip, Shed Roof Material(s): Asphalt/Composition-Shingle
Building Type: Domestic - Single Family Plan: Rectangular
Structural System: Balloon Frame/Platform Frame No. of Stories: one & ½
Unit Theme(s): Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Community Planning/Development
Integrity
Changes to Windows: Moderate
Changes to Original Cladding: Intact
Changes to Plan: Intact
Major Bibliographic References
City of Seattle DCLU Microfilm Records.
King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
Polk's Seattle Directories, 1890-1996.

Photo collection for 3938 Corliss AVE / Parcel ID 9178600835 / Inv #


Photo taken Aug 02, 2004
App v2.0.1.0